


The way things change

by eliimg



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Frohana (Disney), Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21823291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliimg/pseuds/eliimg
Summary: Short stories about the royal family and the way things change around them. Set before, during and after Frozen 2. Frohana.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	1. Olaf's ABC

Elsa walked the hallway leading to her study after a break. She had been working all day in the last details of a trade agreement with Westland. The agreement was important for both countries and they had been trying to come up with the best deal for both parties. The whole week her council, Westland dignitaries and herself had spent long hours of arguments that seemed to led nowhere, before they had come up with the best ideas. And for that reason, Elsa had spent the whole day reading, editing, and making sure everything was ready for the following day. She wanted to present the final documents with her signature to Westland's dignitaries in their last reunion, to make sure they returned to their kingdom with everything ready on Arendelle's part. Truth be told, the agreement was more beneficial to Arendelle, than she wanted to let them know, and so, she wanted to sign everything before the neighbouring kingdom changed their mind.

Of course, the long hours sitting and reading the same papers over and over again, trying to make sure everything was as convenient as possible, took a toll on Elsa. The whole week had been exhausting, and she couldn't wait to sign the last few documents and call it a day. Not to mention she had promised her sister to spend the evening with her and Kristoff. Anna understood the importance of the reunions, but it didn't mean she was okay watching Elsa tire herself to the bone, working long hours.

That morning, after an argument about Elsa's health, Anna had made her promise to stop working as early as possible and make sure she spent some time with her family and join them for dinner. When Elsa made the promise, she had believed it to be a terrible idea. She had had to work non-stop since breakfast to make sure she finished her work before sunset, but at the end, it had been useful. Not wanting to disappoint her sister, Elsa had worked in the most efficient way possible. She was tired -exhausted to be honest- but she was pleased with the achievement. The fact that it was a few minutes past four, and she only had a couple more documents to sign, was proof enough she had done an excellent job.

She entered the study, a hand rubbing her neck to relieve some more tension before she returned to her work, when she noticed Olaf was sitting in her desk. What was worse, he was not only sitting, he was holding her quill and was using it. Worried about what the snowman was doing, she run the distance between the door and her desk, and called Olaf's attention.

"Olaf, what are you doing?!" she asked, afraid to know the answer.

The snowman raised his head and smiled at her, not really noticing the worry in her voice. "Oh, hi Elsa! I'm helping you," he said happily as he rested the quill on the wooden desk and picked the piece of paper.

"Helping me, how?" asked Elsa. Sadly for her, she already knew the answer, she was quite sure the piece of paper Olaf had picked was one of the documents of the agreement. She hadn't been able to see what Olaf had done with the quill, but something told her it was nothing good.

"I heard you say you were tired this morning, and Anna was angry with you. So, I thought I could help you finish." He put the document on a pile on his right and picked a new piece of paper from the left side.

Knowing that her fears were true, she moved quickly and took the paper from his hand and put her other hand over the left pile to prevent he picked another paper. Not only Olaf had been writing -or pretending to write- on the documents she had been working on all day, he also was changing the order of the pages. Elsa didn't need to look at everything in detail to know Olaf had ruined the last two or three hours of her hard work. She could only hope he hadn't touched anything else while she was away.

Elsa knew his intentions were good, but her frustration at seeing the mess on her desk was too much to stop herself from raising her voice at him. "Olaf! What have you done?!"

Shocked by the way Elsa had took the paper from his hand, and the tone of her voice, he froze in place not knowing what to answer, "I- I was…"

"Olaf, look at this! It's all covered in ink! I can't read what was written!" she said as she picked other parts of the agreement that were scattered over the desk. "What were you thinking?"

"I- I wanted to help you," he said, not daring to look at her in the eyes. He was not used to seeing Elsa so angry, especially at him. "I wanted you to spend more time with us and I thought I could help."

Elsa pinched her nose. She knew her anger and frustration was clouding her judgement. She tried to calm down before answering. "Even if it was well intended," she said in a lower tone, "you need to learn not to touch things without permission. We've talked about this." She watched him nod his head in agreement. "This is why I always tell you not to do it. Now these documents are ruined."

Olaf looked at the desk trying to understand the mess he'd made, and asked, "can you fix them?"

She noticed Olaf felt bad for what he had done, and she suddenly regretted yelling at him. "It'll take time but I can fix them. Don't worry."

He sighed in relief, climbed down Elsa's chair, and began walking towards the door. Before he could grab the door knob, Elsa stopped him. "However," she said calling his attention. "I want you to stay here until I finish."

"What? Why?"

"Because you need to understand your actions have consequences."

"But-"

She crossed her arms and said, "no buts. Sit in that chair and wait. It's not fair if I'm the only one who has to stay here and work."

Reluctantly, Olaf did what Elsa told him and sat in the chair near the door. He wanted to go out to play, but at the same time, he was not used to seeing Elsa angry, and he didn't want to go against her wishes. He sat there and hoped for Elsa to be able to fix his mess soon.

* * *

Olaf tried his best to remain silent while Elsa worked. But after two hours sitting in the chair doing nothing, he couldn't stop himself and asked, "I'm bored. Can I go play outside?"

"No until I finish," said Elsa not raising her head from her work. Truth be told, she was utterly bored too. There was nothing she despised more than doing the same work twice, but she couldn't leave things as they were. She needed the documents ready the following morning. "It's your fault we have to stay here working and getting bored."

"But I only wanted to help. It's not my fault I don't know which papers are important." Olaf usually didn't contradict his creator, but it was difficult for him to stay in the same place for more than an hour without complaining.

"Everything in my desk is important," said Elsa, who kept working. She just wanted to finish her work and call it a day.

"I could help of I knew what things are ot not important."

"I know what is and what is not important because I can read the documents. That's why you need to ask first. And that's why you can't help me with this," explained Elsa hoping he was going to stop distracting her.

"But it's your fault I don't know how to read," said Olaf pouting.

Deep down Elsa knew Olaf had said it because she was the one who created him. She knew Olaf believed he needed to be born with the skill to be able to read and write. But still, somehow what he said, and how he said it, had touched a chord in Elsa. All of a sudden she felt inadequate to take care of Olaf, and she felt guilty for not teaching him how to read. Olaf was like a young kid, full of energy and eagerness to learn new things about the world; and she was neglecting him by not giving him the chance. She hadn't really thought about it before that moment, but she realised the huge mistake it was. Olaf had been living with them for over a year and not once she had thought about the possibility of Olaf learning how to read and write. Elsa felt ashamed. She had, unconsciously, neglected someone she loved once again. She felt the need to fix her mistake at that moment.

After a few minutes in silence, Olaf thought Elsa was going to ignore his remark and decided to keep quiet too. He thought that maybe Elsa was not in the mood to keep talking with him, after all she was probably angry with him about what he had done. But to his surprise, Elsa raised her head after she finished writing something and said, "Olaf come here." He did as told and walked towards the desk, he stretched to be able to see what was on Elsa desk and waited for her to say something.

Elsa picked the piece of paper and showed it to Olaf. At the top of the page the word 'Olaf' was written. She let him see it for a few seconds and asked, "Do you recognise this word?"

He analysed the word and said, "no."

"That's your name. It says 'Olaf'."

"That's my name?" said the snowman in awe, as he traced the word with his finger.

Elsa's heart warmed at the amazement in his eyes, but it only made her feel more guilty for not thinking about teaching Olaf before. "It is. Now you know how to read your name," she said. "Would you like to learn how to write it?"

"I can learn to write?"

Elsa noticed how excited he was about the idea of learning, and she thought it was best to give him something to start with while she finished her work. She wrote the letters of his name one under the other, as best as possible, and said, "These are the letters in your name. If you can copy them, you'll be able to write them. And so, you'll be able to write your name. Why don't you write each letter as many times as possible in the row to practice while I finish?"

Olaf's face lighted up with happiness and answered, "yes!"

She smiled at his eagerness and handed him the piece of paper and a pencil. She watched him lay on the floor next to her and began writing before turning to her own work. She hoped Olaf's assignment was going to give her enough time to concentrate and finish. But she could only transcribe one more page before she heard him mutter.

"Like this? No, no, no. That's not right…" he said not noticing Elsa was watching him work. "Maybe like this? No, it doesn't look like Elsa's."

Elsa chuckled. She thought it was really sweet to see him so focused in his task. However, she soon remembered that her mother and her tutors had taught her how to draw each letter before giving her assignments. She felt she was being unfair with Olaf, and so, she called his attention. "Olaf? Come here, I want to show you something," she said, gesturing for him to get closer.

Olaf picked his piece of paper and pencil and was by her side in an instant. "I want to help you. Watch this," Elsa began explaining how to draw the 'O' but noticed it was hard for him to see correctly. "Come here," she said, picking the snowman up and sitting him on her lap. Olaf giggled, happy to be able to see what she wanted to show him, and to sit with her at the same time.

Elsa grabbed the pencil and began showing Olaf how to draw each letter. After she demonstrated how to do it, she gave the pencil to him once again and told him how to hold the pencil correctly and where to start drawing. Once she finished, Olaf began drawing the letters.

Elsa's original idea was to show him the process and continue with her work, but watching him work and improve after each letter he draw distracted her from her. Before she knew, Olaf had finished the four rows and turned his head to her, waiting for the next step to follow.

"Wow…" she said. "Olaf, you drew them perfectly." She patted his head and asked for the pencil once again. "Now, all you have to do is write one letter after the other in the correct order and you'd be able to write your name. Look."

"That's it?" he said when Elsa showed him how she used each letter to write 'Olaf' on the paper once again.

"That's it. It's not easy to write fast though. So, take your time and draw each letter slowly at first."

"Okay!" said happily as he grabbed the pencil from her hand.

Elsa laughed and put a hand on his head as she pointed to the things he needed to improve with the other. She watched him draw his name over and over in the sheet of paper, and soon forgot about her work.

* * *

Anna, who had been waiting in the dining room, decided she and Kristoff were not going to wait for Elsa to join them for dinner anymore. They had sat in the table on their own for over thirty minutes and she had had enough. She had tried to be patient with her sister, after all, she knew Elsa had a lot of work to finish. But she couldn't keep the castle staff waiting for a Queen that was most likely not going to show up. Not to mention she knew Kristoff had been working all day, and he was starving. She asked for dinner to be served and the two of them had dinner by themselves.

Anna was disappointed Elsa hadn't taken the time to send someone with an apology. Anna knew Elsa wanted everything to be perfect for the last reunion with Westland dignitaries, but wanting things to go well didn't mean she had to forget about her health and her family in the process.

"I can't believe Elsa is working late again. She promised to spend the evening with us," said Anna when they left the dining room.

"You know your sister is busy. It's just one more day," answered Kristoff.

"It could be just one more day, but what if it becomes a habit? She needs to take care of herself. Not to mention spend time with her family."

"Your sister only works a lot because she cares about us and Arendelle. I understand what you mean, but maybe she is doing what she believes is right."

"Then, maybe I should do what I believe is right too," said Anna as she turned in the opposite direction.

"Wait!" said Kristoff who was surprised to be left walking alone on the hallway. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to force Elsa to leave her study this instant," answered Anna who was already walking in the direction of Elsa's study.

"What? No, no, feisty pants. Listen, you are angry right now because your sister didn't show up like she promised, but forcing her to leave her study is not going to help." Kristoff knew Anna's intentions were good, but he also knew an angry Anna and a tired Elsa were a recipe for a useless fight.

To Kristoff's dismay, Anna kept walking not paying attention to what he was saying. He decided it was best to follow her to Elsa's study. He expected Anna to enter the room demanding her sister to stop working, or an explanation, but he was surprised to see Anna stop on her tracks the moment she opened the door. When he caught up to her, Kristoff was able to see what Anna was seeing. Elsa sat on her desk like it was habitual, but to their surprise Olaf sat on her lap while he draw. They didn't notice he and Anna were standing on the door. Elsa was focused on Olaf's work, and she was laughing wholeheartedly at whatever she was seeing.

Before Anna or Kristoff could say anything they heard Elsa say, "That's not how you write my name. I already showed you the letters. You are writing it wrong on purpose."

"I think it looks better like this. And it sounds better too." said Olaf laughing too.

"Olfa sounds nothing like my name," complained Elsa, laughing. She then hugged the snowman and rested her chin on top of his head. "Try again. But this time using the letters we practiced."

Kristoff was about to comment he didn't know Olaf knew how to write, when the door silently closed on his face. Anna had closed it without saying a word, and she was already leaving.

"Anna? Where are you going?" asked Kristoff following her.

"I thought we could go to the library like we planned after all," she answered, a smile plastered on her face.

"I thought you were going to tell Elsa to join us."

"I was going to tell Elsa not to work so much. I was angry because she was working herself to the bone instead of spending time with the people she love," said Anna. She then turned to Kristoff and asked, "but, did you see her in there? I can't complain if she misses dinner because she was spending time with Olaf. Specially knowing how much he misses her when she works so much."


	2. Olaf needs to know

After their journey to the northern lands, Anna and Elsa had a lot of work to do in the kingdom. When they returned home and made sure the people and the kingdom were okay, both sisters began with the necessary arrangements for Elsa's abdication and Anna's coronation.

It had been a difficult topic to talk and discuss at first, but with time the idea began to sit well with Anna. She was nervous about becoming Queen, but she knew she had her sister's support and her advice to guide her. She was also sad Elsa was leaving the castle, but her sister constantly reassured her she was going to come and go between the lands. It was only necessary for her to send a message with Gale, and Elsa was going to return in an instant.

The whole idea was still strange to some of their advisers, but little by little it was growing into them and the council. Anna and the council felt it was necessary to have someone representing Arendelle in the Northern lands, and someone the Northuldra could trust and rely on whenever they needed assistance. Elsa was the only right person for that, being a spirit of nature Elsa could protect nature and the Northuldra from the bigger countries who were ready to exploit the riches for their own economic power. She could make sure everything was in order while at the same time, she could let herself enjoy the freedom she deserved.

A month after their journey, things began to fall into the right place. Everything was almost settled, except one thing. One thing Anna felt was too important not to discuss sooner than later. And that thing was Olaf. Anna felt her sister was being unfair with the little snowman by keeping him in the dark about her plans for the future. And she felt it was time Elsa discussed them with him.

Elsa had avoided talking about leaving Arendelle in front of Olaf. Anna had let her know about Olaf's fears and insecurities, how he had been afraid of change and how he had felt betrayed and angered when she left them behind. Making Elsa believe it was best to tell him later, when things were settled. Nonetheless, Anna felt it was time her sister told Olaf the truth.

"Elsa, stop it," said Anna after the topic had arised, yet once again. "You've got to let him know. He already knows I'll be Queen of Arendelle. He knows you are the fifth spirit. He must be suspecting something is going on… "

"It's not that I don't want to let him know. It's just…" Elsa made a pause. "I don't know how to tell him."

"Just talk to him. Explain things like you explained to me. He will understand."

"I don't want him to be mad at me," confessed Elsa. "I don't want him to feel pressured to follow me or to stay here either…"

Anna smiled tenderly to her sister. She knew Elsa loved the snowman, but she didn't often show how much. "He won't be mad at you. He loves you."

"He was mad at me before. I must be the only person out there who has made him mad" Elsa sighed and sat down in the chair in front of her desk - now Anna's desk -.

"Well, I've got to admit I was surprised when I saw him mad that day…" Seeing Elsa crestfallen expression after her comment, Anna felt she needed to reassure Elsa things were going to be okay. "Elsa, he's just growing up. It's normal for him to feel anger from time to time. But this time is different, this time you'll talk to him and explain things to him."

Anna saw her sister look down. Probably overthinking what she should say to her snowman. She was surprised how much Elsa struggled with that kind of things still. Even with her family. No wonder Elsa had never felt comfortable in her role as Queen. Something her sister had recently admitted to her.

"He adores you," said Anna. Part of her thought Elsa felt she couldn't talk to Olaf because she didn't notice how much Olaf loved her. "You are his creator. He would do anything you tell him to do or not to do, and he would never stop loving you." When she noticed Elsa had raised her head to listen, she continued, "he will listen. And he will understand. Just please, talk to him."

"That's what I'm afraid of…"

"What?"

"What if he asks me what to do?" said Elsa. "What if he feels like he has to follow me to the enchanted forest and it's not what he wants to do?"

"Do you want him to go to the enchanted forest with you?" asked Anna. Truth was she had no idea how Elsa felt about it. And the opportunity was perfect.

"I don't know… I feel bad leaving him behind. I worry something may happen to him and I'm not around to fix him or help him," said Elsa with worry. "But I want him to be happy. And I know he's happy here. With you, and Kristoff and Sven."

Anna couldn't help but chuckle at her sister after that.

"What?" asked Elsa. She didn't see how anything she was saying could be funny. She was worried for Olaf's well-being.

"And you really want me to believe you are not his mother?"

"Oh, not this again. I'm not his mother. I just built him and I love him. That's it."

Anna laughed again before saying, "Sure, sis. Whatever you say…" Anna cleared her throat when she saw Elsa's look and said, "Anyway, if he asks just tell him what you told me. Let him choose-"

Anna was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, and a snowman waddling into the study, "Anna! Elsa!" he waved. "You called me?"

Elsa turned to her sister after watching Olaf enter the room, and looked at her in a way that said, ' _you called him now_?'

Anna just smiled at her sister and said to Olaf, "Yes, Olaf. I did! Elsa wanted to talk to you!"

After that, she stood up and walked to the door, petting Olaf on her way out. And closed the door behind her. She knew Elsa was going to be mad for a few seconds with her, but she knew it was best if her sister talked with him.

Anna had to admit she couldn't keep waiting anymore either. She needed to know what was Olaf going to do. She wanted him to stay with her and Kristoff. His presence was comforting and it was always funny to have him around. But she hadn't said that to her sister. She wanted creator and creation to talk things through and choose what they wanted to do. She felt it was not her place to choose for them. Even if both of them leaving was going to crush her.

* * *

Elsa watched the door close behind her sister, and realised she didn't have an alternative. Olaf waddle towards her and stood by her side, smiling. He looked happy he was supposed to stay with her and talk. She knew she had neglected him the last few weeks. Abdicating had been a little bit harder than she imagined, it didn't only affect her life, but her sister's and the whole kingdom. And so, she hadn't had much time on her hands to spend time with the little snowman.

"What do you want to talk about Elsa? Books? I found a new encyclopedia in the library. I was trying to find information about how sleeping in long journeys prevents insanity, but I can't seem to find anything."

"No. That's n- not want I want to talk about." She felt silly stuttering in front of Olaf. He had always been a comforting presence in her life since she created him and she knew she could speak freely in front of him, but this time she didn't quite know how to start the conversation. She chose to start with information Olaf already knew. "You know Anna is going to be Queen of Arendelle, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah," he nodded eagerly. "She told me. I think it's great!" He then scratched his head. "I don't know why you don't want to be Queen anymore…" He thought for a moment, and before Elsa had the chance to answer, he said, "Is it because people have been decapitating Queens in recent years? I'm not sure what _decapitate_ means, though."

Elsa paled at the thought, and suddenly felt the need to cancel Anna's coronation and her abdication altogether, and stay in the castle. Leave it to Olaf to make her reevaluate her life decisions.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Olaf continued, "but I read people are angry with their monarchs before doing it, and people like you and Anna. So I don't think that's it."

Coming back to the conversation at hand, and trying her best to leave her new unfounded fear aside, Elsa said, "Well, I'm stepping down because I realised I was not the right person for the job."

"Don't you like being Queen?"

"It's not I don't like it." Truth was she had always felt inadequate for the position. But she didn't feel like discussing that with Olaf. She had just recently confessed it to Anna. "It's just… It's not who I'm meant to be."

"What do you mean?" he seemed interested. Elsa was glad he was following the conversation and asking questions. It was easier for her to talk that way.

"I was born to be someone different. I'm supposed to be out there, with the rest of the spirits," she answered. "Do you understand?"

He pondered for a few seconds what she said. "And being Queen forces you to stay here in your study all day?"

"Yes." She felt relieved Olaf understood her reasons.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going back to the forest…" she was surprised she was able to say it so easily.

"For a few days?"

"No." She sighed, knowing he was not going to like her answer. "I'm going there to stay."

He furrowed his brow. "You are leaving?"

There it was. The question she knew was coming. She nodded and caressed the top of his head. "I won't live here anymore. That's what I wanted to talk with you," she said in a small voice.

"Why?" A dejected look on his face.

Elsa hated being the reason their happy snowman felt that way. She hated always being the reason her family suffered. But she couldn't keep pretending. She had found herself that day in Ahtohallan, and she knew she couldn't go back to the way things were. "It's where I belong. It's where the magic of nature belongs."

Olaf opened his eyes in surprise, making Elsa wondered if she had said something wrong. "What about me? I'm made of magic snow. Should I go too?" he asked with concern.

Elsa felt his worry and soon tried to calm him down. "That's up to you."

He raised his head to meet her eyes and asked, "Up to me?"

Elsa leaned in so it was easier for him to look at her in the eye. "Do you want to come to the forest with me?" She needed him to understand it was his choice completely.

"I don't know…" he ruffled his hair twigs. And after thinking for a few seconds he confessed, "I don't like the forest."

"You don't?"

"I think it's scary."

Elsa tried to remember the forest. She had been so captivated with the land, she couldn't think of it as scary. "Scary?"

"You know, full of potential threats…"

She chuckled at his answer. Olaf's vocabulary had changed so much in such a short time. "Well," she said remembering Olaf's worry after she had brought him back to life. "I promised you I wouldn't put you through mortal danger anymore. So, you don't have to come with me if you don't want to. You can stay here with Anna and Kristoff."

"I can?" His spirits seemed to raise with his question.

"Of course." She smiled tenderly to him. "I want you to be happy, Olaf."

He sighed and walked the short distance that separated them. He rested his head on her lap and said, "I don't know what to do."

Elsa felt guilty once again. Here she was forcing Olaf to make a decision that surely was hard for him. He always said he loved his whole family. Wanting to make him feel better, she picked him up and sat him on her lap. She gave him what she hoped was a warm hug and asked, "What do you feel here?" She pointed to his chest. Even if she knew Olaf was not human, she liked to believe he felt things in his chest too. She also knew he understood what she meant. "What do you think would make you happier?"

"I think," began Olaf but he hesitated, as if the answer was going to be incorrect. "I would like to stay in the castle with Anna, Kristoff and Sven…" Before Elsa had the chance to tell him it was okay to feel that way, he continued, "but you built me. I don't want you to go." He looked at her with sadness. "I don't want things to change."

Elsa didn't answer. She couldn't promise him things were going to stay the same. She knew that once she left the castle a lot of things were going to change. They were changing already. "Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"No. I'm just…" He made a pause trying to understand how he felt. "…sad. Do you have to go?"

Elsa hugged him once again and nodded. "I'm sorry I'm leaving. But I'm sure you'll be happier here." Without detaching herself from him, she tilted her head and said, "But you'll have Anna; she was always better company than I was. And Kristoff and Sven." Then she remembered his new found passion for books and said, "you also have all the books you can read here…"

Instead of lifting his mood, the comment about the books made him sadder, puzzling Elsa. "But you won't be here to tell me what the difficult words mean."

"No, I won't…" She sighed. Then an idea came to her mind. "But you can send me letters. You'll have someone to write to." She remembered Olaf sending letters to everyone in the castle, when he first learnt to read an write.

"Oh, it's a good thing I learnt to write then!" he said with excitement.

"Yes, it is." Elsa tighten her embrace, happy to know he was finding something to look forward to. "You can send me all the letters you want. And if you ever need me, you could just send a message with Gale and and I'll be back as soon as possible."

He then turned his head to look at her. "Can I visit you too?"

Elsa smiled. "I'd love that."

They both stayed in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying their company. Elsa felt bad for not spending more time with Olaf in the past. She had always worked too much or worried too much to enjoy the simple moments like the one she was living at that moment.

He distracted her when he asked, "when are you leaving?"

"After Anna's coronation."

She watched him count what she guessed were the weeks before the coronation and he then said, "So, we still have a few weeks to spend time together."

"Yes, we do."

* * *

The following day, Anna and Elsa were in the study once again, this time arranging the guest list for Anna's coronation. The most important kingdoms and allies had been told about the event, but they still needed to figure out some things.

Both sisters were discussing Arendelle relationship with a Kingdom Anna didn't remember ever reading about, when Olaf entered the study running with a map in his hand. "Elsa look! Look what I found in the library!"

Elsa turned around, surprised by the sudden visit, and knelt in front of him. "What is it?"

"It's an old map of Arendelle. Look! It has all this marks and circles in it. What do you think they are?" He opened the map to show his creator.

Elsa picked the map and tried to identify what each circle marked, but she couldn't think of anything. She recognised her father's handwriting on the left margin. It said something about water.

Anna stood behind her and looked at the map too, she recognised one of the marked places. "That's the oldest well in Arendelle. It's near the town square," she said pointing to it.

"I think father was thinking of building more wells," said Elsa. "I can't believe I didn't come up with the idea of checking the water supply in Arendelle before…"

"Do you think all the 'new wells' he marked in this map were built?" asked Anna.

"I don't know…"

"Uh! We could go explore the town and find out!" said Olaf with excitement. Before Elsa knew what was happening, Olaf grabbed her hand and ran in the direction of the door. Elsa looked at the twig arm in her hand as she watched Olaf run out the door.

"Olaf wait! You forgot your hand!" said Elsa aloud, shaking his arm in the air.

Anna laughed as she watched her sister kneeling on the floor with his arm in her hand. "He wants you to go with him."

"Come on, Elsa!" said Olaf from the door, when he realised his arm and his creator were missing.

"Olaf, I'm helping Anna with the coronation right now."

Anna shook her head and helped her sister raise from the floor. "Go explore the town with Olaf," she said. "Besides, I could use the information."

"But-"

"No ' _buts_ '." She interrupted. Anna got closer to Elsa and whispered, "go play with him. You'll miss these moments."

Elsa looked at her and smiled. Anna had already taken her role as Queen and was offering her the chance to go out and enjoy her new found freedom. She whispered a thank you to her younger sister, and walked out the door with Olaf.


	3. What did you call me?

It had been almost a year since Elsa left Arendelle to live in the Enchanted forest with the spirits of nature. But true to her word the day she left, she visited Arendelle at any given chance. She loved the company of her family and, even if she loved the forest, she treasured the opportunity of spending a peaceful evening with her family. Even when things weren’t too peaceful…

“Royal guard! A soldier!” yelled Kristoff exasperated. “Elsa help me out here, try to do something different,” he begged. It was Elsa’s turn at the charades. “Statue!” he tried at the last second trying to win at least two points on the lightning round.

“Time’s up,” said Anna laughing at her fiance’s irritation. 

“Agh! What was it?”

“King,” said Elsa. She sighed in disappointment. She believed she had done a great impersonation of her father. “I was impersonating my father.”

“Was your father a statue or what?” 

“I’ve got to say, Elsa,” interrupted Anna. “I didn’t think it was Father either.” 

Elsa raised her hands in the air, not believing what she was hearing. She knew she was bad at the game, but she sometimes suspected they didn’t even try when she was the one acting out words. “You both live here, you must have seen his coronation painting!” She then tried to mimic the painting once again.

“How was I supposed to know you were acting out a picture?” Kristoff complained. Olaf and Anna had won the last three rounds, and he wanted to at least win one.

Anna rested her hand on his knee to call his attention. “Calm down, Honey.” 

“Okay, so that’s seven guesses for us and one for you guys,” commented Olaf.

“You guys are six points ahead?” asked Kristoff. He knew they were losing, but he believed they still got a chance. “Good job, Elsa.” 

“Hey! It’s not my fault you are a bad guesser.”

“I’m a bad guesser? What about your acting skills?”

“Okay, guys. Cut it out,” said Anna. She didn’t like when Kristoff and Elsa couldn’t leave their competitiveness aside. “It’s just a game.”

“Well, I’m not an actress. The whole point is for you to guess even if the person is not good,” continued Elsa, not listening to her sister.

“The thing is you are not bad at it. You are _terrible_.” Kristoff wished there was a way he could show Elsa he was not exaggerating. It was impossible for him to guess anything she mimicked.

“What about you? You couldn’t act out the word _reindeer_. And you grew up with one.”

“I nailed that! You are the one who couldn’t guess it…” he answered. He crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Talking about bad guessers.” He knew it was a game, but he wanted Elsa to accept it was her fault they were losing.

“Kristoff _you_ said you wanted to team up with Elsa. Could you at least be a good teammate?” asked Anna. She wanted the quarrel to stop and she hoped Elsa didn’t take Kristoff’s words to heart.

“Fine,” he said looking at Anna. He then pointed at Elsa. “If she accepts she is terrible at family games.”

Elsa frowned at him and said, “I know I’m not good. But you should accept you are bad too.” 

Sighing at Kristoff and Elsa’s argument, Anna leaned closer to Olaf and asked, “Why did we think it was a good idea to let them be on the same team again?” The snowman shook his head and shrugged. He was asking himself the same question.

“Oh, please. I’m not bad,” countered Kristoff. “I’m always on the winning team.”

“Not today,” said Elsa smirking.

“Oh yeah? And who is my teammate?”

Elsa gave him a hard stare as she tried to come up with something. But she knew he had won the argument. It was true she was bad at family games, and it was true he always won. Choosing it was best to give up, she kept quiet and walked to the sofa. As she sat down beside Kristoff, she muttered, “Arse," under her breath. 

Elsa thought she had said it low enough for only her to hear, but soon noticed Kristoff was looking at her, eyebrows raised. 

"What did you call me?” asked Kristoff, surprised.

She hadn’t meant to insult Kristoff. She had said it more out of frustration than anything. She blushed at the embarrassment of Kristoff hearing her. She still couldn’t believe she had said it herself. She didn’t want to say the word back to him, that’s why she looked down and tried to change the topic. “Nothing. Anna is your turn, isn’t it?”

Anna who had heard her sister loud and clear was too looking at her in disbelief. “What did you call him?" 

"No- Nothing,” she couldn’t believe she had said something like that to her sister’s fiance. And for a stupid family game. Elsa hoped Anna was not going to get mad at her. “I didn’t call him anything.”

“You called me an _arse_ ,” Kristoff said, pointing at her. 

“I- I didn’t.” She knew both had heard her, it was stupid to deny it.

“You did,” laughed Kristoff. “You used a bad word.” He clarified laughing louder.

Elsa who had remained with her head down, turned to look at him when he laughed. She thought he was going to get mad at her for the insult, but instead he was guffawing by her side.

“I can't believe you insulted me!" He was smiling broadly when he looked at her. "And look at you, you are red as a beet,” said Kristoff when he paid attention to her face. Making Elsa blush more than she was. He laughed some more and threw his arm around her, giving her a side hug.

Kristoff had always thought Elsa was never going to feel comfortable enough around him to show that side of her. Whenever they argued about silly things, Elsa had the tendency to play the ‘I’m more mature and refined’ card. So hearing her now, calling him an Arse - on his face -, felt like an absolute win for him.

Elsa was still confused by his happiness and felt the need to apologise, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… Aren’t you mad?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?” He tightened his embrace to reassure her it was alright.

Elsa heard Anna chuckle and say, “Kristoff thought he was never going to see the day you finally lost it and insulted someone.”

“And to think I’m the one who made it happen. I’m honoured,” laughed Kristoff once again. After he calmed down, he cleared his throat and said, “I’m sorry too, though. I _was_ being an arse. I should try not to be so competitive.”

Elsa who was still a little surprised by the way things turned out, wrapped her arm around him and said, “Well, I’m glad you aren’t mad. Still, I shouldn’t have said it, you weren’t wrong.”

He grinned and asked, “So, you accept you are not good at charades?”

“Totally, I’m _terrible_ at charades. You guys just pick this game to see me suffer.”


	4. How come you didn't notice?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple night of charades changes the way Elsa sees herself, forever. Set before Frozen 2.

The Royal family sat in the library enjoying family night together. Charades had become one the family's favourite games – even if Elsa struggled with the most simple words. 

Like many times before, boys had teamed up against the girls.

"Okay, Olaf. You're up." Anna handed the snowman the basket so he could pick up his next word. "You've got to act out just one word this time. No rearranging. Got it?"

"Got it!" Olaf picked a new piece of paper and froze for a second. The word written was not difficult, but for some reason he wasn't sure how to act it out. He looked around the room to help himself, and that's when he saw Elsa. Perfect. 

Not wasting anymore time, he pointed to Elsa. 

"Elsa!" said Kristoff hoping it was that easy. "You," he continued when Olaf pointed to himself. "You and Elsa." 

Olaf stood right beside her and continued pointing to the both of them. Thinking fast, he pretended he was shivering and put one of his snowballs foot in Elsa's hand. 

"That counts as rearranging, Olaf. Put your foot back to its place," warned Anna. 

"Cold. Snow!" tried Kristoff. Not wanting to be distracted by Anna's complaints. "Snow hand. human. Snow human, no, that's not the name. Snowman!" 

Nodding his head eagerly, Olaf pointed to himself again and then pretended to be taller, scarier.

"Marshmallow?" Kristoff watched him smile and knew he was getting closer. "Marshmallow, you… Elsa."

Not wanting to waste more time, Olaf held Elsa's hand and pulled until she was standing next to him. He moved Elsa's hand until it was resting on top of his head. 

"Oh, oh, creator! Snow creator!" 

"Hey, it's not fair if he interacts with Elsa like that," complained Anna noticing Olaf was taking advantage of the situation. "And you," she said calling her sister's attention. "Don't help him!" 

"I'm not doing anything!" 

Olaf continued playing, not paying attention to the sisters' argument. He knew he didn't have much time. He pulled Elsa's hand once again and forced her to start walking in the room with him, never letting go of her hand. All of a sudden he stopped and hugged her legs. 

"Walking with your creator. Taking a stroll with her? Hugging your creator!" Kristoff watched Olaf jump in front of Elsa, with his arms held high. "What are you doing?" 

"You want me to pick you up?" asked Elsa. She knew he was still acting, but for some reason she couldn’t deny his request and soon she was holding him in her arms. 

"Elsa, can you please stop helping the other team?" 

"I’m not helping him," she complained. "I don’t even know what he wants!" She was not going to ignore Olaf if he needed her.

"Be picked up. Be in her arms!" continued Kristoff knowing he didn't have many seconds left. He looked attentively how Olaf moved from side to side, forcing Elsa to do the same. "Rock a baby. Baby? No. Mother’s arms? Mother! Mother!" he repeated with a triumphant laugh. "She’s your mother, of course!" 

"Yes!" said Olaf and then laughed, happy Kristoff guessed correctly. "You took forever to guess! Even Elsa got it before you this time." 

"Olaf…I don’t think she was helping you." Anna had guessed the word before Elsa got up from the couch, and for a moment she thought her sister had guessed the word too. But now, seeing her sister frozen in place, still trying to understand what was going on, gave her the idea Elsa hadn't had a clue. And something told Anna she hadn't had a clue she was Olaf's mother either. 

Any painter would have given anything for their clients to stay as still as Elsa was at that moment. She held Olaf in her arms, but she was unaware of the snowman's requests to be put back down on the floor.

"I think she's still in shock," Kristoff whispered to Anna. 

"You okay there, sis?" 

"I’m… a mother?" She muttered. Not paying attention to Anna's question. 

"Did you know the big encyclopaedia defines mother as the female who bears some relation to their children? But, it also says that word could be used to talk about a woman in authority or an elderly woman? Funny because Elsa is all of them at the same time!" 

"You think I’m your mother?"

"She really must be in shock not to notice Olaf just called her 'elderly woman'," whispered Anna. She now had all the reasons she needed to start calling Elsa a  _ mother _ .

"Of course you are! You gave me life and a name."

Elsa's astonished expression had been fun, but Anna was getting worried by her sister's lack of reaction. Trying to help Olaf get his point across, she said, "you are always pampering him. You even spent weeks trying to improve his permafrost so he could go and enjoy the sun."

Olaf laughed remembering the tickles the 'freezing sessions' – as Elsa called them – made him feel.

"You even helped him win right now," commented Kristoff. "Wait, if Elsa's his mother, doesn't that make Olaf Prince of Arendelle?" 

"Uh? A Prince?" 

"Yes, he is!" Anna had never thought about it before, but now she realised it was true – in a weird, complex, way. "A charming little Prince. C'mere!" she said excitedly. 

Elsa's eyes widened. "Olaf… Pr- Prince of Arendelle?" 

Not paying attention to his creator, Olaf jumped from Elsa's arms and ran towards Anna to give her a warm hug. 

"But just to make sure, let me be the next in line to the throne, okay? I'm not sure the house of Aren contemplates snow heirs." Anna played with his nose, making Olaf giggle. 

"You okay there, Elsa?" laughed Kristoff. He had never seen her face more pale.

"I- I need to sit down for a moment."

  
  
  



End file.
